Machine for squeeze drying washed ink rollers

ABSTRACT

A machine for squeeze drying absorbent liners of ink rollers that have been washed previously, said rollers being used in printing presses; where the ink rollers are mounted in multiples on bearing spiders inside a drum having on its interior cylindrical surface spiral drain grooves. The two bearing spiders are rotated and have means to press the ink rollers against the inside of the drum, squeezing the excess washing fluid out of the ink rollers. The excess washing fluid drains into a lower drain area and is then drawn out of the drum by a vacuum suction pump.

United States Patent [19] Busch 1 MACHINE FOR SQUEEZE DRYING WASHED INK ROLLERS [76] Inventor: Gerhard Busch, Heidenkampsweg 48, 2000 Hamburg 1, Germany [22] Filed: May 12, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 142,529

[52] US. Cl 100/106, 15/4, 68/245, 100/110, 101/425 [51] Int. Cl B4lf 35/04 [58] Field of Search 15/4, 93, 303; 34/70; 100/90, 106; 101/425 [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 783,602 2/1905 Wheelwright 100/106 2,734,355 2/1956 Wenzelberger 100/90 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,291,752 4/1969 Germany 101/425 .[451 May 7,1974

755,098 8/1956 Great Britain 15/4 Primary Examiner-Daniel Blum Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Otto John Munz [57] ABSTRACT A machine for squeeze drying absorbent liners of ink rollers that have been washed previously, said rollers being used in printing presses; where the ink rollers are mounted in multiples on bearing spiders inside a drum having on its interior cylindrical surface spiral drain grooves. The two bearing spiders are rotated and have means to press the ink rollers against the inside of the drum, squeezing the excess washing fluid out of the ink rollers. The excess washing fluid drains into a lower drain area and is then drawn out of the drum by a vacuum suction pump.

8 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDHAY 1914 3L808L966 SHEEI 1 OF 3 3 I I W V FIG 5 w 0 INVENTOR: V w A GERHARD BUSCH.

. ATTORNEY aLaoaLsss PATENTEDHAY 7 1914 SHEET 2 0F 3 FIGH PUMP

INVENTOR:

GERHARD BUSCH ATTORNEY.

MACHINE FOR SQUEEZE DRYING WASI-IED INK ROLLERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention A device for drying the absorbent liners of ink rollers, that have been washed previously, which rollers are used in printing presses and especially in offset printing presses.

2. Description of the Prior Art It is known that the absorbent liners of the ink rollers are washed. After the washing the liners are squeezed to remove any excess fluid. To automatize the two processes of washing and squeezing a washing machine for this purpose has been developed and is known. Ink rollers to be washed are inserted into two bearing spiders mounted on a shaft and are revolvingly pressed against the interior surface of a drum. The interior surface comprises a plurality of diagonally inclined narrowly spaced parallel grooves. The pressure of the wet printing rollers against the interior surface of the drum is effected and increased by springs behind the bearing arms for the printing rollers in the bearing spiders.

In this type of a washing machine the rate of the removal of excess fluid squeezed out of the ink rollers being washed is not adequate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The objects of the invention are to provide:

a machine for squeeze drying ink rollers that have been washed previously, with means to remove excess fluid adequately and quickly by suitably connecting a vacuum pump to an airtight drain area and an airtight enclosure formed by a drum, and further to provide means to increase squeezing pressure, and to increase the number of rollers in contact with the ink roller to be squeeze dried to increase the areas of squeezing action.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings illustrate several preferred embodiments of the invention in scale as follows:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the washing machine partly in cross-section.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the drum interior of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an improvement over FIG. 1 showing a plan view of a bearing spider which carries the ink rollers.

FIG. 4 is an improvement over FIG. 1, showing a cross-section of the adaptor below the drum.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of a bearing insert which carries the ink rollers.

FIG. 6 shows a preferred embodiment of a spider and bearing arrangement for the ink rollers.

FIG. 7 shows a preferred embodiment holding the ink roller with two auxiliary supporting rollers.

FIG. 8 is a cross-section of a ball bearing insert.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS According to the invention a plurality of ink rollers 5 to be squeezed to remove the excess fluid are held revolvingly in bearings 17 in rotating spider 3, 4 and during the process of squeezing are pressed against the interior walls of a drum 1 shown on FIG. 1. The interior walls comprise a plurality of angularly inclined spiral grooves 6 on the inner wall of the drum converging at the center of the drum. The grooves are open and terminate at both ends of the drum for drawing off the excess fluid, flowing to the lower part of the drum, which comprises a plurality of drain holes 10 in the bottom of the drum shown inFIG. 1 and a drain groove on both ends 7 and 8 shown in FIG. 2 openly connected with a lower drain chamber 11 and an adaptor part 12 shown in FIG. 4. The chamber 13 is openly connected through pipe 14 with a vacuum suction pump 15 shown on FIG. 1 for drawing off the excess fluid.

The arrangement described in the previous paragraph, especially the connection of the drain chamber with a vacuum suction pump provides an adequate and trouble free removal of the excess fluid according to this invention. It is advantageous that the grooves in the interior cylindrical surfaces of the drum terminate in annular grooves 7 and 8 in FIG. 2 at both ends of the interior drum. The annular grooves 7 and 8 coincide with a drain groove, each of which is openly connected with drain holes to drain into the lower drain chamber.

The lead of the grooves in the interior wallsof the drum isat least equal to the circumference of the ink rollers to insure proper drainage of the excess fluid.

Since the ink rollers to be squeezed are not all of the same length, the lower drain chamber comprises an adaptor part 12. The adaptor part further comprises a slot whose length corresponds to the length of the ink rollers to be washed and squeezed and is openly connected to the vacuum pump. The adaptor piece prevents outside air from leaking into the interior of the drum.

To uniformly increase the pressure of theink rollers against the interior grooved walls of the drum, the bearing spiders according to this invention further comprise in a preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 6 two additional supporting rollers suitably supported and bearing against each ink roller in its respective bearing position.

In the embodiments comprising thesupporting rollers a portion of the fluid to be removed is already squeezed out of the ink rollers by the supporting rollers and with the squeezing action. of the drum a dual squeezing action is achieved which increases the efficiency of the device. In a preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 6 the efiiciency is considerably increased. There the supporting rollers further comprise at least one each of one set of them, a spring loaded bearing and where further at least two each of one set of them have closely angularly spaced longitudinal grooves, spirally arranged in opposing directions.

In a further embodiment shown in FIG. 7 the efficiency of the squeezing process is still further increased. There the bearings in the bearing spider each comprise an additional arm 21, carrying spring loaded two rollers 22 pressing against the ink rollers. In this manner three squeeze areas are in action. This latter embodiment has proven especially advantageous, when the ink rollers are of a comparatively large diameter. In this embodiment the ink rollers 5 need not be journalled at their ends, because they are already supported by rollers 22.

Other advantages and embodiments are shown in greater detail as follows:

There is shown in FIG. 1 a machine having a drum 1 with a closeable and gasketed opening, having a suitable cover whose inner side corresponds to the interior surface of the drum. The two side walls of the drum carry a shaft 2 rotatably mounted in bearings formed in the center of the side walls.

Two bearing spider discs 3 and 4 which carry the bearings 17 on springs for the ink rollers to be washed and squeezed are adjustably fixed on the shaft, which is rotated directly by means such as a motor or by a belt on pulley 9 shown in FIG. 1. The interior diametrical wall of the drum has a plurality of narrowly spaced diagonally inclined parallel grooves 6 converging at the peripheral center of the interior surface of the drum. The grooves openly terminate at drain grooves 7 and 8. The-drum further comprises at its lower part a plurality of drain holes 10, which openly connect with a drain space 11. The drain holes have an interchangeable adaptor piece 12, having a drain slot 13 corresponding to the length of a respective ink roller 5. The slot is in line with the drain holes 10, and is connected with at to adequately remove the excess fluid from the drum.

I The bearing spider discs 3 and 4 are preferably provided with a plurality of slots 16 equidistantly spaced. The slots receive removable bearing inserts 17 which carry the bearing ends of ink rollers 5. In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the removable bearing insert 17 is a sliding friction bearing. In another embodiment shown in FIG. 8 the removable bearing 17a isa ball bearing. In each embodiment the bearing inserts are preloaded by compression springs 19 which press the ink rollers against the interior wall of the drum.

In an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6 the discs 3 and also 4 are provided with a number of equidistant slots 16, which receive the bearing inserts. The ink rollers to be washed and squeezed are journalled in slots 16 and are pressed against the grooved interior wall of drum 1. According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, auxiliary rollers 20 are mounted adjustably adjacent to ink roller 5 pressing against them. By the pressing of auxiliary rollers 20 against ink rollers 5 a large portion of the excess fluid is already squeezed out of ink rollers 5. The remnant of the excess fluid is then squeezed out of the ink rollers 5 on the interior walls of drum 1. One of each pair of auxiliary rollers 20 is spring loaded while' both of each pair of auxiliary rollers 20 have narrowly spaced parallel grooved spiralled in opposite directions to each other. v

I claim:

l. A machine for squeeze-drying absorbent liners of ink rollers of printing presses and the like, comprising:

a drum;

said drum having an interior cylindrical surface;

a plurality of narrowly spaced, parallel, longitudinally extended arrow-head shaped spiral grooves thereon, which converge at the center of said cylindrical surface;

one circular drain groove on each side of said surface;

the ends of said arrow head shaped grooves communicating with said drain grooves;

longitudinally spaced drain holes at the lower portion of said drum;

a lower drain space;

said drain holes being openly connected to said lower drain space;

a vacuum suction pump;

said drain space being openly connected with said vacuum suction pump.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, said spiral grooves provided with a lead, said lead being at least equal to the circumference of said ink rollers.

3. A washing machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an adapter piece, inserted into said lower drain space;

said adapter piece comprising a drain slot corresponding to the length of the respective said ink roller, said drain slot being openly connected with said vacuum suction pump.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least two discs; each disc carrying ink roller bearings journalling said ink rollers;

said discs comprising a plurality of equidistantly spaced slots on their circumferences mounting said ink roller bearings.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 4, said ink roller bearings being compression spring mounted in said slots for urging the rollers against the said cylindrical surface.

6. A washing machine as claimed in claim 5, said drum comprising at its geometric center a rotatably mounted shaft, said two discs being mounted thereon.

6, and 

1. A machine for squeeze-drying absorbent liners of ink rollers of printing presses and the like, comprising: a drum; said drum having an interior cylindrical surface; a plurality of narrowly spaced, parallel, longitudinally extended arrow-head shaped spiral grooves thereon, which converge at the center of said cylindrical surface; one circular drain groove on each side of said surface; the ends of said arrow head shaped grooves communicating with said drain grooves; longitudinally spaced drain holes at the lower portion of said drum; a lower drain space; said drain holes being openly connected to said lower drain space; a vacuum suction pump; said drain space being openly connected with said vacuum suction pump.
 2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, said spiral grooves provided with a lead, said lead being at least equal to the circumference of said ink rollers.
 3. A washing machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an adapter piece, inserted into said lower drain space; said adapter piece comprising a drain slot corresponding to the length of the respective said ink roller, said drain slot being openly connected with said vacuum suction pump.
 4. A machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least two discs; each disc carrying ink roller bearings journalling said ink rollers; said discs comprising a plurality of equidistantly spaced slots on their circumferences mounting said ink roller bearings.
 5. A machine as claimed in claim 4, said ink roller bearings being compression spring mounted in said slots for urging the rollers against the said cylindrical surface.
 6. A washing machine as claimed in claim 5, said drum comprising at its geometric center a rotatably mounted shaft, said two discs being mounted thereon.
 7. A washing machine as claimed in claim 6, and means for rotating said shaft.
 8. A washing machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a driving means for moving the ink rollers relative to the drum within the same and means to fixedly mount said drum in relation to said driving means. 